


to the beat of my heart

by starkindstrs



Series: for all that was lost [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Baby Morgan, F/M, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Morgan Stark and Peter Parker are totally siblings, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Pepper Potts, Team Cap Redemption, Tony Stark Deserves Better, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, character tags will be added as story goes, i don't know i think it's gonna be a sad fic, i think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 05:09:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16033634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkindstrs/pseuds/starkindstrs
Summary: "Are you alright, Tony?““Always."-Or: one day Tony really, honest to God, wishes he is, but the universe has other plans.





	to the beat of my heart

It was the first night back at the Avengers Compound, after all the chaos that was the Infinity War. It was a long, tiring fight, but they manage to reverse what has been dubbed "The Snap", and everyone that has been lost to the ashes have returned, although it was with a cost. The first few weeks were tough; people who returned aren't all 100% alright. Many ended up diagnosed with PTSD, although physically, they return with the same state of health they were before they turned into ash, no rips and holes visible on the skin.

The Avengers fought with all they might on Planet Titan, with the help of two of the Guardians left, Ant-Man, and Captain Marvel. Thanos is defeated in the hands of his adopted daughter Nebula, disintegrated into dust almost the way half the universe were, except this time they all made sure it's permanent. The infinity stones are secure, attached to a gauntlet made by none other than Tony Stark, the man who, in the end, was wielding it, reversing The Snap, returning the lives that were lost for the excruciating months.

The Reverse Snap itself wasn't without consequence. Tony, stubborn, prideful bastard that he is, calmly disengaged the Infinity Gauntlet from the gauntlet of his Iron Man armor, handing it to Captain Marvel and The Guardians in a safe box to be hidden so far somewhere deep in the galaxy. He cracked a couple half-hearted jokes, turned on his heels to pull his confused, disoriented protégé into a tight embrace ("This is a real hug, kid, please return it before I die of embarrassment") and nodded to his teammates. Old and new, the ones that stayed with him and also the ones who had betrayed him and spent two years before the war being fugitives.

Nobody saw the way Nebula stayed on the other side of Tony Stark before they parted ways. She asked, in a low whisper, "Are you alright?" and Tony answered, "Of course." He also ignored the way Thor's eyes kept drifting to Tony's left arm--the arm that had held the stones--in concern.

He said nothing about the pulsing sensation that had begun to race along his left arm through his chest.

They all flew back to earth--Tony still refused to pull away from Spider-Man all the way home and the kid in return refuses to disentangle himself from his mentor's arms--and greeted with the sight they hadn't seen in years: people, a lot of people, twice the population it had been since The Snap, hugging and crying and laughing everywhere--in the park, in the streets, in front of coffeehouses, everywhere.

Tony returns to Pepper and their six months old baby Morgan, and Peter cries at his side when he sees Aunt May behind Tony's wife.

Then Tony retreated from everyone, locking himself in one of his expensive mansions while the rest of the Avengers scattered around to spend some time with their--previoustly lost--loved ones. The world settled into a somewhat tense peace, with everybody trying to piece back together the months they've lost. It was a long walk on eggshells.

Tony spends the first few weeks back kissing his daughter and holding his wife, murmuring soft words as he rests. Rest from the war, the battles, that hadn't stopped since he woke up in a cave all those years ago. Morgan, sweet, smart, beautiful, genius Stark that she is, kisses her father back screaming "Ba ba ba!" at his face, giggles when he tickles her with his stubble, and grins toothlessly when he sees her father's eyes start to cloud with pain in attempts to make him smile again.

Before he left for the Avengers Compound a couple of months later, that day, with Morgan safely propped on his hip, he kisses Pepper. Pepper, also ready for her drive to the office and resumes her duty as the CEO of Stark Industries, takes his left hand and kisses the still-bruised knuckles. The three spent the previous weeks tangled together every day, every where (in the bed, in the kitchen counter, on the couch, on the garden behind the house, on the roof staring at the stars), and this will be the first time they part. With heavy heart.

"I am proud of you," Pepper says into his knuckles. "We wouldn't be here without you."

"It's all Nebula, Pep," he repeats what he always says. _She took the final blow, Pep, I was just cheering on the bleachers_. He always says that, but she's seen the footage. Of Tony, holding the gauntlet and all the power of the stones, turning Thanos into dust and snapping his fingers as all the stones glowed while half of the population rose from dust.

"You're still my hero. And hers," Pepper kisses Morgan on the nose and the girl giggles, "and we love you."

* * *

 

"I wasn't sure you'd show up," Natasha comments with raised eyebrows, though her eyes are warm and she ends up rising from the couch to hug him anyway. "Welcome back, Tony."

"Glad to be back," Tony replies anyway, only half-meaning it.

"And who might this be?" Natasha coos with a baby voice Tony never knew she was capable of. "Oh, Tony. She's beautiful."

"I know. Meet Morgan. Baby, say hi."

Morgan pulls out the thumb from her mouth and shrieks, "Bye!“

Tony shakes his head. "Yeah, she's still learning."

"How old is she?“

"Eight months. She's a menace."

"It's nice to finally meet her," Natasha comments.

The news of Pepper's pregnancy and Morgan's birth never made it to the media. The last thing public knows is that Tony and Pepper are finally married, but they both have disappeared from the public long before that. People assumed that they both were dealing with grief and trying to keep Stark Industries afloat amidst the chaos--losing half of the board members and employees took a toll on the company and Tony and Pepper didn't want to expose the only good thing in their life to the media.

Tony didn't even really tell his own teammates--hah, teammates--about Morgan. They always knew Pepper was pregnant but Tony never really told them anything, only requesting a couple days off every week to work from home, and the team understood.

The only person other than Happy and Rhodey who has even met Morgan (and Tony post-war) is Peter Parker. The kid visits Tony's mansion regularly on the weekends, and they pretend to be working on some important project to hide the fact that Tony only demands Peter to visit so he can make sure that he's here, alive, alright. Other than that, Tony and his family more or less have been cooped up in the mansion like a family of hermits.

Morgan's blue eyes are wide and questioning as she looks around the unfamiliar place. She doesn't fuss at all, even though this was the first strange plase she's ever visited. She's more curious than anything.

"Nna?“ she babbles.

"Yes, this is Natasha. Nat. This is the Avengers Compound, the one I've told you about. How'd you like it, Morgan?"

"'Vengez!" she shrieks happily. She can't still form full sentences at her age, but she echoes words better than most eight-months with clearer pronunciations now. "Spidey?"

"Yes, Spidey is here. I think. I mean, I called him to come." Tony adjusts the kid on his hip when the throbbing on his left arm begins to act up again. Natasha's sharp eyes follow the quick twitch of his arm.

"Can I hold her?" she asks neutrally, the soft smile still present on her face for the baby.

"Uhh, yeah. Sure. Um, she's never been carried by anyone othet than me and Pepper. And Rhodey. So, maybe she'd fuss."

Natasha reaches out and Tony reluctantly hands his baby to her. She's surprisingly calm, only babbling a little as her papa's hands leave her. "No, she's a good girl. Aren't you?"

"Goo!"

Tony smiles and rubs his arm a little. Natasha notices. "Are you alright, Tony?"

The smile doesn't falter. "Always."


End file.
